Esteemed shaykh, may Allaah grant you tawfeeq, is it the case that Imaam Abu Haneefah (rahimahullaah) did not enter actions into (the definition of) eemaan?
And is he to be considered from the fuqahaa al murji'ah (the murji'ah scholars) – and if this is actually correct, then how do we make an excuse for this Imaam?

Answer:

Yes, Abu Haneefah and his shaykh, Hammaad ibn Abee Sulaymaan both made this statement – that eemaan comprises speech upon the tongue and belief in the heart, and that actions of the limbs do not enter into it. And this is irjaa, without doubt. For this reason they call them ‘murji'at ul fuqahaa’ and ‘the murjiah of ahl us sunnah’. They are from ahl us Sunnah but this slight mistake occurred from them; and it is a mistake, without doubt. We do not accept the mistake from any single person, not from Abu Haneefah (rahimahullaah) nor from anyone other than him because our goal is what is correct and attainment of the Truth. And this does not decrease Imaam Abu Haneefah’s status with us.